Life as a Malfoy as Told Through Two Experiences
by Serpensortia14
Summary: 3rd Generation fanfic. Scorpius Malfoy is in his first year at Hogwarts and faces the challenges of being a Malfoy in a post-Second Wizarding War world. Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy lives a normal life until his father, Lucius Malfoy, returns from Azkaban.
1. Prelude

Prelude

"Lucius Malfoy, you are hereby sentenced to nineteen years in Azkaban prison for usage of the Unforgiveable Curses, false claims of allegiance to the Ministry, and conspiring with the Dark Lord," Kingsley Shacklebolt declared as the sound of a pounding gavel resonated off of the marble floor and walls of the circular room. A very pale-looking Lucius Malfoy was quickly put in chains and was escorted out of the courtroom by two Aurors. Narcissa Malfoy helplessly watched with a heavy heart and teary eyes as her husband was taken away to Azkaban. However sad she was about her husband, at least she and her son, Draco Malfoy, had been spared from going to the Wizard Prison.

"It's going to be okay Mum," Draco said as he pulled his mother into a reassuring embrace.

Narcissa said nothing in reply to her son, but could only nod in agreement. As the two broke form their embrace, Draco cast a glance over to where the man that had spared his mother and himself from prison was sitting. Harry Potter looked up from his papers that he had been gathering in his hands and solemnly nodded to the blonde that was standing at the opposite side of the room. Draco nodded in reply and then gestured for his mother to follow him out of the room.

Draco had been living with his mother for about a year for a number of reasons. One reason that he was still living at home was that Draco felt sorry for his mother and felt that he couldn't leave her alone in her broken state. Noble as this cause was, he was mainly still living at Malfoy Manor because he couldn't not get a job due to the events of the recent past. In a way, both mother and son were highly dependent on one another: Narcissa for comfort, Draco for domestic needs.

Since Lucius' incarceration, the two remaining Malfoys had been often visited by many of Draco's friends from school and by old friends of Narcissa. All of their visitors had come offering their condolences for what had happened to the head of the Malfoy family. On one such occasion, Daphne Greengrass, who was a friend that Draco had met through his old girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, had appeared on the Malfoy's doorstep.

"Hello Daphne, it's good to see you again," Draco had greeted his former classmate.

"And even better to see you. Thank heavens that you weren't thrown in Azkaban as well," Daphne replied with relief. "Draco, I hope you don't mind, but I've had to drag my younger sister along with me. She's currently in her seventh year at Hogwarts. Naturally, she's a Slytherin," she added as she gestured to the brunette haired girl that was a few feet down the front walk whom was admiring one of the members of the Malfoy's prized albino peacocks that Draco recognized as Percificlis. "Astoria! Please say hello to Mr. Malfoy!" Daphne shouted down the walk. Astoria's attention was diverted from observing Percificlis and looked up to where her older sister and the man she had said was Mr. Malfoy were standing on the front steps.

"I'm coming," Astoria said as she started walking towards the two. She lightly ascended the steps and extended her hand for Draco to shake. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Malfoy," Astoria said politely. Draco took her hand in his and shook gingerly.

"No need for formalities. Please, call me Draco," he replied. Astoria blushed slightly as Draco shook her hand. She hoped that no one had noticed. "Would you two like to come inside?" he asked.

"Oh there's really no need to, I just came to drop off this pie. We don't mean to be a burden," Daphne said as she held up the pecan pie that she had been balancing on her left hand the entire time.

"It's no trouble at all. And besides, I'm sure my mother would love it if you came in for a spell," Draco reassured them.

"Alright then. If you would take this pie off my hands Draco that would be lovely," Daphne said. Draco nodded and took the pie off of her left hand. He stepped aside so that the two women could enter the doorway.

As it turned out, Narcissa wasn't the only one that had enjoyed the visit from the Greengrass sisters. Since that day, Draco and Astoria had grown very close. Their bond became so strong that eventually the two were wed. In 2006, their first son, named Scorpius Hyperion, was born.


	2. Off We Go

Chapter 1 - Off We Go

"Wait up Gelert!" A young blonde-haired boy of eleven shouted. Another boy, who looked to be about the same age, but had a head of short black hair, was running a few feet in front of him.

"Boys! Slow down! You don't know where you're going!" Astoria Malfoy cautioned. Scorpius Malfoy and Gelert Goyle stopped in their tracks and turned around to see their parents with their luggage trolleys. Both Astoria Malfoy and Olivia Goyle looked awfully distraught from the unexpected chase after their sons, while Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle, who were both at the helm of a trolley, looked rather amused. After the Dark Lord was defeated in the Final Battle at Hogwarts, Draco and Goyle had remained close friends in their adult life. It was only natural that their sons had become fast friends, especially because they had known each other practically since birth.

"Aww, but we just wanted to see the train," Scorpius and Gelert complained. Astoria couldn't help but to smile at their innocent wish.

"You'll see it soon enough," Olivia reassured with a smile.

Olivia had been right because just as soon as they had gone through the gate to Platform 9 3/4, the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them on the tracks. Both Gelert and Scorpius had looks of sheer awe on their faces.

"We are going to have so much fun at Hogwarts!" Gelert declared happily. Scorpius smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

Scorpius took every chance to take in his surroundings that he got. Farther down the Platform, he noticed what looked to be a large family. He found it a little odd that most of them had bright red hair. He then noticed that his father had also been looking at the group of people that were over there. To Scorpius, it seemed that his father had been looking at the only adult in the group that had dark hair. The man also had round glasses and, even from the distance, Scorpius could see that he had very bright green eyes. Scorpius watched as his father slightly nodded at the dark haired man and then quickly redirected his eyes to the ground. Instantly, Scorpius was curious about who the man that his father had acknowledged was. Scorpius tried to think about who the man was, but his ponderings were interrupted by the voice of his father.

"Come on Scorpius, you're going to have to get on the train soon," Draco pointed out.

"Alright Dad," Scorpius replied. Astoria bent down to give her son a farewell hug.

"Goodbye Scorpius. I love you, son," she said as she hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you too Mum," he replied as his mother released him so that Scorpius could say goodbye to his father. Draco knelt down on one knee to get more to his son's level.

"Scorpius, have fun at Hogwarts. Remember, it doesn't matter to your mother or me as to what House you are sorted into. Even though your mother and I were both in Slytherin, we'll love you no matter where you go. Don't forget to send us an owl to tell us where you're placed. I love you. Goodbye Scorpius," Draco said sincerely to his son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He could hardly believe that he was here, sending off his own child to Hogwarts. If it wasn't for a certain wizard, Draco wouldn't have been there. Although all of this was swimming around in his mind, Draco didn't show it. Even though he had changed through the years, he didn't want to look all choked up in public.

After Scorpius and Gelert had bid farewell to their parents, they boarded the train and set off to look for an empty compartment. When they had found one, Scorpius slid open the door and they both entered and sat down on opposite sides of each other. Once the train began to pull out of the station, they both looked out of the wide window of the compartment to see their parents waving at them. They waved in return before sitting back down in their seats.

"I can't believe that we're actually off to Hogwarts," Gelert piped excitedly.

"Yeah, neither can I," Scorpius replied as he looked pensively out at the British country-side.


	3. New Beginnings

Chapter Two - New Beginnings

The train had been chugging along the tracks towards Hogwarts for about four hours. Scorpius was reading his favorite book, _Quidditch Through the Ages_, and Gelert had been snoozing soundly, when a boy with messy black hair knocked on the compartment door. He looked to be about the same age and behind him was a girl with thick, wavy red hair. Scorpius could have sworn that he had seen them before. Gelert woke with a start, and Scorpius put his book down so that he could open the door.

"Yes?" Scorpius asked the dark haired boy.

"Er, uh, hi. I'm Albus," the boy started. "And this is my cousin, Rose," Albus said as he pointed to the girl that was behind him. "We're first-years too. Can we come in?" he asked. Scorpius thought for a moment before speaking.

"Um, yeah sure," he replied. Scorpius then looked back at Gelert. "If that's okay with you, of course." Gelert sleepily nodded and a small yawn escaped from his mouth.

"Thanks," Albus said gratefully and sat next to Scorpius while Rose sat down next to Gelert. "My brother, James, kicked us out of our compartment. He's a third-year, you see, and he wanted to make room for his friends so, naturally, we got the boot," he explained. Scorpius nodded in understanding, but then noticed that the girl named Rose had been staring at him. It was as if she was scrutinizing him.

"What?" Scorpius asked her with a perplexed look on his face.

"I think that I've seen you before. Let me think a moment. Oh yes! You're Scorpius Malfoy, aren't you?" Rose exclaimed. "My father told me to be better than you in everything. Though I can't imagine why." Scorpius' eyebrows furrowed at what at Rose had said. "But to me you seem perfectly fine," she quickly added. Scorpius turned slightly away from her and rolled his eyes. _'This girl is a nutter,'_ he thought.

"Well that's nice," Scorpius said, slightly irked. Seeing that he was a little put out, Rose quickly changed the subject.

"So what Houses do you all think you'll be sorted into?" She inquired. "Albus and I are probably going to get into Gryffindor. My mother and father were both in Gryffindor, as were his." Hearing this, Scorpius grew a little apprehensive. Gryffindor House was the sworn enemy of Slytherin House. Maybe Albus' and Rose's opinions of him would change if they learned that both of his parents had been in Slytherin.

"I'll probably get into Slytherin since both my mum and dad were in Slytherin," Scorpius replied, deciding to take the chance. Rose looked a little taken back, but Albus had an expression of acceptance.

"Oh that's cool, and then if you do get into Slytherin, then we'll know someone in another House," Albus chirped. "What about you Gelert? What House do you think you'll get into?" Gelert, who had been half-asleep, woke up once again and rubbed his eyes.

"Pardon?" He asked groggily.

"What House do you think you'll get into?" Albus repeated.

"Oh, er, probably Slytherin. I'm just like Scorpius, you know. Both me mum and dad were in Slytherin too," Gelert replied once he had woken up a little bit more. Albus nodded, but Rose still had that slightly distraught look on her face. Scorpius found it to be extremely rude.

"So do you two like Quidditch?" Albus asked Gelert and Scorpius.

"Of course!" Scorpius replied with a large grin. "It looks like wicked fun too. I've always wanted to be a beater."

"I like to watch it and to read about it, but I'd rather not play. I'm not one for athletics," Gelert replied sheepishly.

"A beater, eh? I've always wanted to play too. That's pretty cool. And that's okay Gelert. Rose here doesn't like Quidditch much. My dad and my granddad were Seekers for Gryffindor and my mum was on the Holyhead Harpies. Quidditch runs the family you see," Albus boasted proudly. Scoripus' eyes grew wide.

"Who are your mum and dad?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"My dad is Harry Potter and my mum is Ginny Potter," Albus replied.

"Bloody hell, that's pretty amazing," Scorpius said in amazement. Scorpius had no idea that Albus' parents were famous. He especially didn't expect that his father was the famous Harry Potter. Scorpius was thankful that Albus didn't act pompous or that he should get special treatment because of who his parents were.

For the duration of the rest of the train ride, Scorpius and Albus heatedly discussed Quidditch, while Rose dove into one of her books, and Gelert fell asleep again. When Albus and Scorpius had barely begun to discuss whether or not the Chudley Cannons would come back from the bottom this season, the Hogwarts Express came to a lurching halt.

"We're here," Scoripus said softly.

A.N. Thanks to everyone who has read "Relapse"! Also, I never mentioned this in the two chapters previous, but, if anyone would like to review this, please do! It would mean a lot as this is my first time writing a fanfic by myself. I'd kind of like to know if I'm any good at this _


	4. Expect the Unexpected

A.N. I just want to thank everyone that has read and/or visited! Please review! They make me happy.

Chapter 3 - Expect the Unexpected

Scorpius, Gelert, Albus, and Rose quickly, and not to mention excitedly, exited the compartment and got off of the train.

"Firs' years! Follow me!" An unreasonably tall, bearded man shouted from the end of the platform. He was waving around a large lantern so that he could be seen. The four friends joined the group of first years that were gathering in front of the man. "Now if ya'll were wonderin' my name is Hagrid. I'm tha keeper of keys an' grounds here at Hogwarts," he announced loudly. Once Hagrid was sure that all of the first years were assembled he led them down to the shore of the Black Lake. "Okay everyone! Go on an' board a boat!" He instructed. Scorpius ended up riding in the boat with Rose, while Gelert and Albus were in another.

When all of the students had boarded the boats, the little fleet began to move across the expanse of water. The eyes of every first year lit up as Hogwarts Castle loomed towards them on the horizon. The castle was all a-glow and had a magical air about it. Its massive reflection in the Black Lake seems to sparkle.

Finally, all of the little boats reached the opposite shore of the lake. The students got out of their boats and were escorted by Hagrid towards the castle. They entered the school through its huge front doors and were led into the Great Hall. Many gasps of awe could be heard when the first years walked into the Great Hall. On this night, the ceiling depicted the most radiant night sky with a few occasional shooting stars. The praise that it got from the new students was well deserved. The first years all stood in a great line in the center of the Great Hall, all anxiously awaiting for their fates to be decided. Professor Blackwood, who was the Headmistress of Hogwarts, stood in front of the teacher's table. Next to her was a plain wooden stool, and on top of it was an old ragged hat. Professor Blackwood picked up the Sorting Hat with one hand and with the other started to open the roll of parchment that she was holding. She then read the first name that was on the list.

"Abastian, Karen," she announced loudly. Karen Abastian could feel the butterflies of anticipation in her stomach as she walked up to the front of the Great Hall. When she was seated on the wooden stool, Professor Blackwood placed the Sorting Hat on top of her head. After a few moments of silence, the Sorting Hat spoke.

"RAVENCLAW!" It shouted so loud that its voice echoed on the stone walls of the enormous Hall. With a sigh of relief, Karen Abastian got off of the stool and took her place at the Ravenclaw table with her fellow House-mates. The process continued for many other students. Then finally, a familiar name was called.

"Goyle, Gelert," Professor Blackwood announced. Gelert's eyes grew wide with surprise. Scorpius gave his friend a reassuring pat on the back and gestured for Gelert to go to the front of the hall. Gelert walked up to the front and sat down on the stool. Professor Blackwood placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Sorting Hat shouted almost as soon as it was placed on Gelert's head. Scorpius looked just as surprised as Gelert did. With a rather confused expression, Gelert walked over to the Hufflepuff table and sat with the other first years that were there. Many more first years were sorted after Gelert, and then finally, the moment that Scorpius has been awaiting had arrived.

"Malfoy, Scorpius," Professor Blackwood announced loudly. An eerie silence fell over the Great Hall. Suddenly, Scorpius became very aware that everyone was staring at him while he walked up to the front of the Hall. He slowly sat down on the stool and closed his eyes so that he didn't have to see the burning gazes of his peers. When the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, he could hear a whispering voice in his ear.

_"Ah, you simply reek of Malfoy, I see. Plenty of courage, unlike your predecessors, but lots of ambition. A very profound sense of longing...you feel as if you need purpose...you want to feel needed...wanted even. Now where to put you? It's hard to be sure..."_ The Sorting Hat mumbled. The Hat fell silent for a few seconds, as if it was thinking very hard. Professor Blackwood started to become a little concerned; the Hat hadn't even taken this long to sort Harry Potter all those years ago. Suddenly, the Hat stood straight up on Scorpius' head as if to show that it had made its decision.

"SLYTHERIN!" It shouted.

Scorpius was thoroughly surprised. How could the Sorting Hat have put him in Slytherin? He wasn't at all like what Slytherins were usually described as being. As he walked towards the Slytherin table, he again felt the burning stares of the other students. All Scorpius wanted to do was to shrivel up and hide from all of the people. While he was sitting at the Slytherin table, he could barely pick up a conversation that a couple of Ravenclaw girls where having at the table behind him.

"I told you he'd get into Slytherin. He fits the bill perfectly. His dad...," the girl whispered. _'What about my dad?' _Scorpius thought. He could not hear the last part of the sentence that she had been saying as Professor Blackwood had gone back to saying names. Not long after Scorpius had been called up, it was Albus' turn to be sorted.

"Potter, Albus," Professor Blackwood called. Most of the students, especially those at the Gryffindor table, stared whispering amongst themselves. Would the second Potter child follow in his family's footsteps? Albus nervously walked up to the stool, clearly having heard the whispering of the other students. He winced slightly when Professor Blackwood put the Sorting Hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat quickly yelled out.

A small cheer broke out from the Gryffindor table. Albus smiled brightly and swiftly got off of the wooden stool to join his new Gryffindor House-mates at the table. He sat next to his brother James who then proceeded to ruffle his little brother's hair. Many more students were sorted after Albus. Finally, almost all of the students had been sorted and only ten or so remained.

"Weasley, Rose," Professor Blackwood announced. Rose's eyes lit up and was certain of where she was going to be sorted. She gingerly sat down on the stool and waited for the Sorting hat to be placed on her head.

_"Another Weasley, eh? But you're much different from all of the others. Very, very bright. Almost too bright. But very rash as well. Where to put you?"_ The Hat whispered in her ear. After a few seconds of quick deliberation, the Sorting Hat came to a conclusion.

"RAVENCLAW!" The Sorting Hat shouted.

Rose was beaming with pride that she was the first Weasley to be in a different House other than Gryffindor, but she was also a little nervous. It was likely that her father wouldn't be extremely keen on Rose's being in Ravenclaw. However, she quickly remembered her father once jokingly telling her that if she got into Slytherin that he would disown her. Remembering this, she broke into a smile and quickly walked to the Ravenclaw table.

Once all of the rest of the students had been sorted, Professor Blackwood returned to her seat and then proceeded to give a small speech to the students.

"Students, the faculty and I hope that you all endeavor to do well this year here at Hogwarts. We have a few new faces this year. Joining our team of staff is Professor Luna Lovegood, who will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures due to Professor Tinsley's retirement at the end of the last school year," Professor Blackwood said. At the mention of her name, Luna Lovegood, stood up. Her elbow-length light blonde hair and striking blue eyes made her look very youthful even though she was in her thirties. It was clear that she was one of the youngest teachers at Hogwarts. When Professor Lovegood had sat back down, Professor Blackwood continued her speech.

"Also, another new development this year is that there has been an increased presence of spiders within and around the castle. If you see a spider that looks unusually large, please contact a teacher. That is all," she finished. As soon as Professor Blackwood had finished her speech, the Prefects began to round up the first years of their Houses. Scorpius could only watch as his only friends were led out of the Great Hall in their House groups.


	5. The Cunning Folk

A.N. Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it! Also, as a heads up, my laptop that had the story on it broke so I lost a lot of my material. My updates will become more sporadic and less common due to this. I had the next two chapters written up and ready to go, but they have been lost due to my laptop's failed hard-drive. Technology hates me.

Chapter 4 - The Cunning Folk

"Slytherin first-years! Please follow me!" The female Slytherin Prefect instructed. Scorpius joined the little crowd that had gathered in front of the Prefect. "Hi everyone, I'm Wisteria Gordon. I'm one of the two Prefects of Slytherin House. Our other Prefect is Benjamin Praxson. Right now he's organizing the other years, so you'll probably meet him later," she said to the first-years that were following behind her as the little group moved out of the Great Hall. "So anyways, we're going to head down to the Slytherin Common Room. The Slytherin Common Room is in the dungeons of the Castle and runs underneath the Black Lake, for those of you that didn't know." Wisteria led the little group down into the dungeons of the castle. As they came to the Potions classroom, Wisteria stopped. "This is the Potions classroom. Professor Parkinson is the Potions Master. She is also the Head of Slytherin House," she said before she continued on her way.

Finally, the group had turned into a dead end. On end of the hall was a solid, bare wall made of stone. Scorpius guessed that they were pretty far underground as it was awfully cold and damp in the hallway.

"_Atropa belladonna,_" Wisteria said as she stood before the wall. Instantly, the bricks of the wall started to change their positions. After a few seconds, an archway stood before the group. "Welcome to the Slytherin Dungeon," Wisteria said to the first years and gestured for them to go inside.

Scoripus was overcome with awe as he entered the Common Room. The room itself had a greenish glow that he noticed was from the tall green-tinted windows that were on practically every wall. Greenish lamps that adorned the walls also helped to provide the glow. To the left side of the room was a white marble fire place that was surrounded by black leather couches and chairs. Many of the cupboards and chairs in the room were decorated with eerie looking skulls.

"Now then," Wisteria started saying as she walked through the stone archway and into the Common Room. "The girl's dormitories are up there on the right and the boy's on the left. You will all find your belongings already next to your beds. If you have any questions, please ask me tomorrow as I bid you all a good-night," Wisteria said as she turned away from her charges and walked back out of the Common Room through the archway.

As Scorpius started to walk through the Common Room towards the boy's dormitory, he felt someone's hand land on his shoulder. He turned around to see that it was one of the boys that he had seen in the group of first years. The boy was several inches taller than Scorpius was and had jet black hair. His brown eyes were so dark that they almost looked black. Scorpius found them to be a bit unsettling.

"Yes?" Scorpius asked the boy that had stopped him.

"So, you're Scorpius Malfoy," the boy began with a sneer.

"So what if I am? What's it to you?" Scorpius asked accusingly.

"I was just wondering," the boy said dryly.

"And just who are you?" Scorpius asked, raising one of his eyebrows as he did so.

"I'm Jasper Flint," he said as he held out a hand for Scorpius to shake. "Our fathers played Quidditch together in school." Reluctantly, Scorpius shook Jasper's extended hand.

"Ah, I wasn't aware," Scorpius replied. He had never heard of his father speak of anyone with the last name of Flint. Then again, the only friend that his dad had kept after he was born was Gelert's father. "Well, we'd better be off to the dormitory," he added.

Jasper nodded and the two boys walked to the boy's dormitory together. The dormitory was a circular room that, in the middle of the room, had a small wood-burning stove that was made of iron. There were four four-poster beds in the room. Each of the beds was made out of dark mahogany wood and was hung with dark green velvet curtains. Scorpius saw his black leather trunk next to the bed that was directly on his right. The trunk was brand new; his dad had bought it for him for his birthday the year before. The lid of the trunk was emblazoned with large silver lettering that read "S.H.D." He walked over to the bed, which was already made, and sat down. As fate would have it, Jasper's bed was next to Scorpius'.

"Well this is pretty nice. It's much grander than my room back at home," Jasper said as he sat upon his own bed. Just after Jasper had spoken, the two other first years that would be in their dormitory walked in. The first was rather short, had curly brown hair, and had chocolate colored eyes. The second looked to be the same height as Scorpius, had an extremely short buzz cut, and had dull grey eyes. The two newcomers walked over to where Scorpius and Jasper were sitting.

"Hi. I'm Gavin Nash, and this is Crispin Hall," the boy with the buzz cut said.

"I'm Jasper Flint," Jasper stated with a nod of his head.

"And I'm Scorpius Malfoy," Scorpius said.

As soon as Scorpius had introduced himself, Gavin and Crispin exchanged dark looks with each other. Scorpius had noticed this and became a little suspicious about the two newcomers and shot them a bit of a glare. Jasper became aware of the slight air of animosity that was building and quickly spoke up.

"Well, I don't know about you blokes, but I'm knackered," he yawned.

"Yeah, I'm for bed as well," Crispin said as he nodded sleepily in agreement.

The four boys quickly changed into their pajamas and got into their beds. Jasper, Gavin, and Crispin were all sound asleep within a few minutes. Scorpius, however, lay awake. Dozens of thoughts were spiraling through his mind as he stared pensively at the stone ceiling above him.

_'What were those two Ravenclaw girls talking about? Why did they mention my dad? Who is this Jasper kid really and why does he have such bad teeth? What's up with Gavin and Crispin? Especially that Gavin kid, what's his problem? Why does the password have to be so long and complicated? What does it mean anyways? I wonder how Albus, Rose, and Gelert are doing. Do they like their houses? Or are they having issues like I am? They probably aren't. Especially Albus, his family is from Gryffindor anyways. Why in bloody hell did I get sorted into Slytherin? I mean seriously, I'm nothing like the other Slytherins that I've seen. Stupid bloody hat,'_ Scorpius thought angrily. Try as he might, he couldn't get to sleep. He tossed and turned about a dozen times over until, eventually, sleep overcame him. Right before he slipped into dreamland, one last thought crossed Scorpius' mind.

'_Will I be able to keep my new friends even though I'm in Slytherin?'_


	6. Homecoming

Chapter 5 - Homecoming

Draco Malfoy carefully studied his appearance in the bathroom mirror. His matching black pants and long-sleeved shirt were perfectly pressed. His forest green tie was pin straight and wrinkle-free. His slightly thinning platinum blonde hair was slicked back against his head with gratuitous amounts of styling potion. He shook his head in disapproval at the hairstyle; he hadn't done his hair like this in years. However, he was willing to do anything to look presentable. The outcome of today's events was extremely important. The future of the Malfoy family was at stake. Today, nineteen years of waiting would be over. Today, Draco was going to see his father, Lucius Malfoy, once again for the first time in nineteen years.

"Dear? Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Astoria said softly as she quietly walked into the room.

"Yes, I have to. I have no other choice," he said somberly as he turned to look at her.

Astoria, in an attempt to comfort him, wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. She softly rested her head against his back. Draco said nothing and stared blankly at the mirror. They stood like this for a few minutes before Draco eventually broke the silence.

"I've been thinking lately, Astoria. Was it wrong of us to keep everything a secret from Scorpius?" He asked softly.

"I don't think so. We made the decision that we would tell him when he's ready for it. He's only eleven-years-old, Draco. There's no way he'd be prepared for it," she replied as she removed her arms from Draco to stand beside him.

Without warning, a sudden realization stuck Draco like a branch from the Whomping Willow. His once sullen grey eyes were now wide with anxiety. Astoria noticed his sudden change in expression and grew a little concerned.

"What is it?" She asked.

"My father is being released from Azkaban today. There's bound to be an article in the _Daily Prophet_ about it. Hell, there's bound to be a story emblazoned on the entire bloody front page," Draco said through clenched teeth. As he spoke, he angrily gripped the front edge of the green marble sink counter; his knuckles turning whiter with every word. "He's going to find out. He's going to know that truth before we get to tell it to him. He's going to hate us for not telling him," he said as he hung his head over the sink. A few angry teardrops fell into the porcelain bowl. Astoria looked at Draco with a fearful expression as she too came to realize the severity of the situation.

"No," she said with a gasp, her eyes wide.

Draco arrived at the Malfoy Manor with a loud crack. He slowly proceeded up the long gravel walk by himself. Astoria had wanted to join him, but he had insisted that she stay at home until matters were more settled. Even though Draco had been to the Malfoy Manor one day a week since he and Astoria had been betrothed, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as he approached the building. Perhaps it was the thought that his father would be there that unnerved him so much.

Draco paused for a moment when was a few yards in front of the Manor. His favorite albino peacock, Percificlus, was standing on the grass that grew on the side of the walk.

"Hi Percy," he said to the bird. Percificlus opened his pure white tail feathers as if in reply. Draco gave him a small smile before continuing on his way up the walk. Within a few moments, he reached the Manor. Draco slowly ascended the stairs to the front door. A feeling of dread swelled up inside him as he slammed down the sliver snake-shaped door knocked her few times. After waiting for a few minutes, the great black door slowly opened. A small house-elf stood in the door way and looked up at Draco with its large emerald-colored eyes.

"Hello Dottie," Draco said to the little house-elf with a smile.

"Hello Master Draco," she squeaked in reply.

Draco observed that Dottie was wearing her "special occasions dress" (as she liked to call it) as opposed to her usual lavender frock. Indeed, the dress that she was wearing did look quite special. It was the same forest green of Draco's tie and was adorned with crisp white lace that encircled both the collar and around the bottom of the dress. Dottie had only worn this dress a handful of times; one of which was Draco's wedding.

Draco had hired Dottie to help his mother around the house after had moved out to live with Astoria. He was glad that someone was there to keep his mother company and to take care of her as she got older. However, Draco was sure that with the return of his father, Dottie's peaceful existence at the Manor could come to an end, given Lucius' history with house-elves.

"Is Father here yet?" Draco asked with a small waver in his voice as he entered the doorway.

"No, he has not arrived yet," Dottie replied with a small shake of her head. Once Draco was inside, she closed the door and walked off in the direction of the kitchen. Draco breathed out a sigh of relief as he walked into the foyer to see his mother standing there by herself. Seeing her son, Narcissa briskly walked towards him and threw her arms around him.

"Draco, I'm scared. What if Azkaban has changed him? I fear that the worst may have happened to him," she said shakily.

"It's going to be okay, Mother. As long as I'm here, everything will be just fine," Draco reassured his mother as he returned the embrace. Draco couldn't help but to feel a small pang of fear as he hugged his mother. Would he really be able to protect her if something went wrong?

Suddenly, a loud knocking came from the door. Draco and Narcissa broke their embrace, each with a look of fear and surprise on their faces. Draco saw Dottie return to the room but spoke before she could get to the door.

"No Dottie, I'll answer it. Go back to the kitchen where it'll be safe," he instructed. Dottie did was she was told and turned around to go back to the kitchen.

Gulping down his anxiety, Draco left his mother's side to go answer the door. He slowly turned the door handle and, rather quickly, opened the door wide.

"Hello Draco," Lucius Malfoy sneered.

A.N.: Sorry for the extremely long wait for a new chapter! I've been rather busy with some stuff in real life that I really didn't have the time to update! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, they make me happy.


	7. A Turn for the Worse

A.N. : FINALLY! I have finally been able to overcome my severe case of Writer's Block and be able to present a new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! Don't forget to review! I actually pull some inspiration for chapters from the reviews so if there are no reviews, then I have less inspiration! Anyways, thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 6 – A Turn for the Worse

Scorpius awoke to the sound of voices and of feet shuffling around the floor. He groggily sat up in bed and sleepily rubbed his eyes as he let loose a loud yawn. Jasper, who had been rifling through his trunk looking for a pair of socks, looked up and smiled widely at the just-awoken Scorpius.

"Morning!" He proclaimed happily before going back to his task of locating his elusive socks.

Scorpius reluctantly got himself out of bed and went over to his trunk. He undid the clasps and opened the lid. From the trunk, Scorpius pulled out his essential school supplies that he would need for his first day of classes. He carefully removed his ivy wand that was 10 and ½ inches long with dragon-heartstring core from its wand box and stowed it away in the pocket of his robes. After Scorpius has finished gathering his supplies and Jasper had located his missing socks, they headed off together for the Great Hall. Upon their arrival, Scorpius scanned the other tables for his friends. He saw Albus with his brother, James, at the Gryffindor table in the same spot that they were sitting at after the Sorting. He spied Rose chatting avidly with a group of girls at the Ravenclaw table and finally found Gelert happily spreading jam on a bit of toast while talking with some other boys at the Hufflepuff table. Scorpius wished desperately that he had been sorted in one of the other Houses so that he could have been with a friend, but he figured that Jasper was better than nothing.

"Scorpius! Come sit over here!" Jasper called from the Slytherin table.

"What? Oh, I'll be right there," Scorpius replied as he came out of his reverie.

Scorpius quickly walked over and took a seat across from Jasper. As soon as Scorpius sat down, dozens of owls flew into the Hall. Various letters and packages were dropped on the four tables to their respective recipients. A large eagle owl landed in front of Scorpius with an envelope in its beak.

"Hello there Adonis," Scorpius said to his owl as he took the envelope. Obviously, Adonis expected a reply as he stayed on the table instead of flying off like the other owls. Scorpius saw that the letter was from his parents and quickly opened it. Once he removed and unfolded the parchment that was inside the envelope, he began to read.

"_Dear Scorpius,_

_We hope that you are having a good time at Hogwarts and that you've made some friends. What House were you sorted into? Your father and I are dying to hear the news! Don't forget, we love you no matter where you were placed. I've included a blank sheet of parchment, some post marks, and a blank envelope so that you can reply as soon as you get this. As a reminder, Adonis will be in the Owlry at Hogwarts should you ever need him. We will send him back once we get your reply. Oh, and good luck with classes! Should you ever need help, just ask your father. He wasn't second in his year for nothing!_

_Lots of love,_

_Mum and Dad"_

Scorpius folded up the letter and stashed it away in his pocket with his wand. From the same pocket, he pulled out a pencil and began to write on the blank paper that his mother had included with the letter.

_"Dear Mum and Dad,_

_ I've been having a good time so far at Hogwarts. I was actually sorted into Slytherin, just like you two were. The Sorting Hat was having some trouble with where it wanted to put me, so I'm rather confused as to why I'm here. Gelert got sorted into Hufflepuff, in case you wanted to know. I've made some new friends here already, which is nice. I met a boy named Albus and a girl named Rose while on the train. They're very nice. Albus is in Gryffindor and Rose is in Ravenclaw. I met a boy in Slytherin named Jasper. He says that his dad and Dad used to play Quidditch when they went to school together. His last name, Flint, doesn't sound familiar so maybe you would know if he's telling the truth. Anyways, I'm really excited to be here and I can't wait to see you during Christmas._

_ Love,_

_ Scorpius"_

Scorpius hastily finished the letter as he wanted to have time to eat his breakfast. He sealed the letter in the envelope and gave it to Adonis, who then flew off to deliver it.

"What was that all about?" Jasper asked curiously.

"Oh, it was just my parents asking about what House I was sorted into and the like," Scorpius replied dully.

"Ah. Hey! Take a look at this! Do you know this man?" Jasper exclaimed as he held up the copy of _The Daily Prophet_ that his owl had dropped on the table for Scorpius to. Scorpius took the paper from Jasper, his mouth agape in surprise. The title of the front page read: "Ex-Death Eater Released from Azkaban Prison – Has Lucius Malfoy Been Reformed?" Underneath the title was a mug shot of an old-looking man with long white hair.

"I've never heard of this man, but he has my last name," Scorpius muttered.

"I haven't read the article yet. Maybe it'll reveal some clues," Jasper suggested.

With that, Scorpius began to silently read the article to himself.

"_Today, the infamous ex-Death Eater, Mr. Lucius Malfoy, was released from Azkaban Prison. Mr. Malfoy had served a nineteen-year sentence in the Wizard Prison under the charges of usage of the Unforgiveable Curses, false claims of allegiance to the Ministry of Magic, and conspiring with the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Malfoy's spouse, Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy, and son, Mr. Draco Malfoy, another ex-Death Eater, had been spared from sentence due to evidence from Mr. Harry Potter who testified that they were innocent and free from any wrong-doing. With his release, many are asking questions about whether or not it was wise of Minister of Magic, Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt, to sentence Mr. Malfoy to such a short term….."_

Scorpius scanned the rest of the article, but found that it talked mostly about reforms at Azkaban Prison and about other ex-Death Eaters that were also imprisoned there.

"Hey Jasper, what's a Death Eater? And who was Voldemort exactly?" Scorpius asked.

"You mean that you've never heard of a Death Eater and you don't know who Voldemort was?" Jasper replied in disbelief.

"Nope. It says here that my grandfather was a Death Eater and that my father was one too, but I don't know what that means," Scorpius said, "My father never mentioned anything about him being a Death Eater. Hell, he never mentioned that I have a grandfather. I've only known my grandmum. And I only know that Voldemort was a bad guy that killed a lot of people and thought that Muggle-borns are inferior to "pure-blooded" wizards and witches."

"Well, a Death Eater was a person that was a follower of Voldemort. They were basically his henchmen and would do whatever he said. They did most of the killing too. Wait, you didn't know that your dad was one? Even I knew that," Jasper replied.

Jasper's words hit Scorpius like the Hogwarts Express going at full speed. _'Dad was a follower of Voldemort? Was Dad a murderer? How come no one ever told me?_' A million questions bombarded Scorpius' mind all at once. He held his head in his hands, not wanting to believe what he had just found out. A solitary tear drop splattered onto the table below. After a few minutes, Scorpius picked his head back up.

"Hey Scorpius, you okay?" Jasper asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Scorpius didn't answer Jasper's question. Instead, he was too preoccupied by looking around the Great Hall. As he looked around, he noticed that most of the other kids in the Hall had copies of _The Daily Prophet_ too. As the seconds passed, one by one, dozens of pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Many of the other students started whispering loudly to each other.

"_That's him over there?"_

"_Yeah, I saw him yesterday."_

"_He's the spitting image of his father."_

"_All Malfoys are alike."_

"_I wonder how this one will turn out?"_

Without a word to Jasper, Scorpius got up from the table and stormed out the Great Hall. He quickly walked back down to the dungeons and found the smooth, blank expanse of wall that concealed the Slytherin Dungeon.

"_Atropa belladonna_," Scorpius mumbled angrily.

The stones of the wall moved out of Scorpius' way as he walked inside. As he entered the Common Room, he saw a few other Slytherins lounging on the couches, talking amongst each other. He eyed them with a dark look and envied their happiness and their carefree outlook. He walked over to a lone black armchair that was in a far corner by one of the large green windows that looked into the Black Lake. He plopped down in it with a heavy sigh and stared out into the waters of the Lake with troubled eyes. He had barely started his career at Hogwarts and already everything was taking a turn for the worse.


	8. Not So Smooth Sailing

Chapter 7 - Not So Smooth Sailing

"Hello Father," Draco replied reluctantly as he stepped out of the way so that Lucius could enter the Manor. Lucius sauntered in through the doorway and stopped in the middle of the foyer. He scanned the room with his cold grey eyes with a look of disapproval.

"I see that not much has changed since I left except that some of my artifacts and paintings are missing," he announced. "Why would that be? Eh, Draco?"

Draco struggled to gulp down a hard lump of anxiety in his throat before being able to answer his father. "Well you see, the Aurors -, " he started.

"What?" Lucius hissed. "You mean to say that those damn Aurors came into _my_ Manor and took _my _possessions? Those barbarians!" He angrily exclaimed. "They had NO right!"

Narcissa walked up to her husband to try to reason with him. "Darling, there was nothing that we could do. We were powerless to stop them," she said softly as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

However, Lucius was not so easily swayed. "Powerless? POWERLESS? Draco here could have stopped them! He's a bloody Death Eater! A DEATH EATER!" He cried out in blind rage.

"Father, there were too many of them. We would have been killed," Draco piped up, trying to get his father to see reason. _'And besides, I was a pathetic excuse for a Death Eater._' He thought.

With that said, Lucius seemed to calm down a bit. "Did they at least leave my armchair?" He asked, anger still tinged his voice.

"Yes Dear, it is still sitting by the hearth. It is as you left it," Narcissa answered.

Lucius nodded his head and walked off into the sitting room. A loud sigh of relief was heard in the foyer, which indicated that Lucius had found that was Narcissa had said about the armchair was true. Draco, who was shaken by the sudden outburst that his father had, looked over to where his mother was standing. She too looked rattled by Lucius' startling outpouring of anger. Draco quietly walked over to his mother and embraced her. Clearly, they were in for a long haul with Lucius.

"Draco, fetch me a goblet of Firewhiskey, will you?" Lucius called out from the sitting room.

Draco sighed and released his mother from their short embrace. "Yes Father, I'll only be a minute," he replied as he walked off towards the kitchen. Draco opened the kitchen door and stepped inside. He looked around the room, but Dottie was nowhere to be found. "Dottie? Are you in here?" He whispered. After he had spoken, Draco heard some light scuffling and turned to see that the pantry door had opened a crack.

"Master Draco? Is that you?" A small voice asked quietly.

"Yes Dottie, it's me," Draco replied as he walked towards the pantry.

"Oh thanks goodness. I was afraid that it would be Master Lucius. I heard some terrible shoutings coming from outside. Rather scary, isn't he?" Dottie squeaked.

"Yes, he is quite frightening, which is why we must make sure that he will never know that you are here. Anyways, do you know where the Firewhiskey is? My father has requested that I bring him some," Draco said. Dottie nodded and went back inside the pantry. After a few minutes, she emerged with a bottle.

"Here you are Master Draco," she said as she held up the bottle to him. "Can I go back into hidings now? I certainly don't want to be meetings Master Lucius."

"Thank you very much Dottie. And yes, you may go back," Draco said smiling as he took the bottle from the little house-elf. Dottie curtseyed and walked back into the pantry, closing the door behind her. Draco went over to the glassware cabinet that was beside the pantry door and pulled a goblet from its shelves before heading back out of the kitchen. When Lucius saw Draco enter the room with the bottle of Firewhiskey and the goblet in hand, he gestured for him to come over. Draco briskly walked over to his father and set down the goblet on the small claw-foot side table that was next to the armchair. Lucius motioned for Draco to pour the Firewhiskey for him, and Draco did as he was told. Lucius must have not felt a need to thank his son as he wordlessly picked up the goblet and took a sip of its contents.

"Ah. There is nothing quite like Firewhiskey after being deprived of it for nineteen years. Wouldn't you say, Draco?" Lucius asked.

"I'm sorry, Father. I wouldn't know," Draco said as he shook his head slightly.

"That's right. You wouldn't know, now would you?" Lucius' grip on the goblet tightened. "You weren't the one that was thrown into prison when you were the one that so rightfully deserved it!" He shouted in rage as he stood up from the chair. Draco took a cautious step back as his father continued to berate him. "I was a faithful servant of the Dark Lord for years and this is what I deserve? NINETEEN YEARS IN THAT BLOODY HELL OF A PRISON? You, on the other hand, were an atrocious Death Eater. I was ashamed to call you my son! You couldn't even kill a bloody old man! You are _nothing_! You are _weak_!" Lucius bellowed furiously. The goblet of Firewhiskey fell from Lucius' grip and fell to the floor with a clatter, spilling the burning alcoholic drink all over the ancient Malfoy family rug.

Draco could hardly believe what he was hearing. This here was stone cold proof that Azkaban had actually driven his father completely bonkers. He had been transformed into a total nutter; not that he wasn't already one before. Hearing Lucius shouting again, Narcissa briskly walked into the sitting room and stood in the middle of the room in complete shock. She couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her husband's mouth. Lucius had been a bit harsh to Draco while he was a child, but to her knowledge it had never been anything like this.

"So tell me Draco, what have you been doing these past nineteen years? Have you been hiding under a rock like your usual feeble self, or have you actually done something with your life?" Lucius pressed. Draco wrestled with the notion that perhaps lying to his father would be best, but then realized that would probably make everything worse. As much as he didn't want to respond, Draco knew that he had to.

"Well Father, actually, I have done something with my life," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I have a job working at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I also have a beautiful wife named Astoria and an amazing son named Scorpius," Draco beamed proudly. Suddenly, Lucius started laughing raucously, which forced him to sit back down in his armchair.

"So I see you have a family now? Isn't that nice. By the way, I hope you know that your marriage to Astoria Greengrass was completely my doing?" Lucius sneered. Draco seemed to be taken aback by what Lucius had just said.

"No, that's not true. We met when her sister, Daphne, brought her along on a chance visit to me and Mother after you left. It was completely by chance," Draco asserted,

"No, no, no, my boy. Did you actually believe that you just so happened to meet a pure-blooded witch by chance? By sheer dumb luck? I arranged with Mr. Greengrass to have Daphne introduce Astoria to you. I knew that you would fall in love with her. In fact, it was her mission to make you fall in love with her so that our pure-blood family lines could continue. Were you actually naïve enough to think that I would leave you to your own devices in my absence? Did you think that I would let you marry a half-blood, or even worse, a Mudblood?" Lucius put some extra emphasis on 'Mudblood' as if it was supposed to drive a point home for Draco.

"That's not true! Astoria loves me and would have never done that to me! You're mad!" Draco exclaimed in disbelief. He was so close to just fuming on out of the room, but tried to keep his head about him. Lucius again started cackling uncontrollably.

"That's not all my boy. That trollop only married you for our money and for our family name! She doesn't love you and never has!" He scoffed.

That was the breaking point for Draco. He turned on his heel and raged out of the room. He didn't even take a moment to say goodbye to his mother.

"YOU'RE A RIGHT FOUL BLOODY GIT, YOU OLD BARMY BASTARD!" Draco roared bellicosely as he threw open the front door and violently slammed it shut behind him. He quickly Apparated back to his home with a loud resounding crack.

Once he had arrived in his living room, he started shouting for Astoria to come to talk to him about the nonsense that his father had been spewing, but then realized that she was at work and was not due back home until supper time. It was not even time for lunch yet. Draco let loose a cry of despair and threw himself on the couch. It took him a few moments to realize that he had been sobbing profusely. Everything had gone so wrong all too rapidly.


	9. Confrontations

A.N.: Finally! I was able to produce an update! So sorry that this was way overdue. I was extremely busy with life for a prolonged length of time. But it's here! A new chapter! My next update should be within the next week or so, so please stay tuned! Please review if you can! I'd appreciate it a lot!

Chapter 8 – Confrontations

Scorpius had been sitting by himself in the corner of the Common Room for a while before he sensed that someone was standing next to him. He turned away from the window and looked up at whom was next to him. The boy that stood next to the armchair was rather tall and had a shaggy mop of dirty blonde hair. He smiled brightly at Scorpius and his ocean blue eyes seemed to follow suit.

"Hey there, I'm Benjamin Praxon. I'm the other Slytherin Prefect," he greeted as he extended a hand for Scorpius to shake. "Oh, and you can just call me Ben," he added.

"Scorpius Malfoy. Pleased to meet you," Scorpius said as he hesitantly shook the older boy's hand. Ben pulled up a nearby stool and sat down on it.

"You seem a bit troubled. If you don't mind me asking, is anything going on? It's only the first day of classes and you already seem like you're having a foul time," Ben observed.

Scorpius was a bit reluctant to tell a complete stranger about what was going on with him, but then reconsidered. Scorpius told Ben all about the accusing looks from the other students, the article in this morning's edition of the _Prophet_, and about how he never knew about any of his father's past. After Scorpius was done telling his tale, Ben had a rather flabbergasted expression on his face.

"Wow, you sure do have a lot on your plate there," Ben said, sounding a little exasperated. "I don't really know how to help you with this, but maybe you should send an owl to your father. Ask him about what was in the article. Since this article is out now, he'll have to tell you about what happened when he was younger. Good luck, Scorpius." With that, Ben got up off the stool and started to walk away. He came to a halt as if he had remembered something that he needed to say. "Oh and by the way, should other students start to bother you about your family, don't hesitate to tell me, Wisteria, or a professor about it. Also, your first class hasn't started yet so you'll be able to make it," Ben added with a smile.

"Thanks Ben," Scorpius said smiling.

"Anytime," Ben finally said before walking over to a group of Slytherins that were sitting by the fireplace.

Scorpius quickly walked through the corridors of the Third Floor to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He stopped just outside the doorway to catch his breath. Scorpius walked through the classroom door and breathed out a sigh of relief; the professor had not arrived yet, however, the entirety of the class was already in their seats. Scorpius' spirits were again lifted when he saw Albus sitting at a table at the front by himself. Scorpius looked around for Jasper and found him sitting next to a girl with long red hair. A few of the students turned to see who had walked through the door and their expressions turned a little dark when they saw who it was. Scorpius noticed this, but tried to not let it bother him as he walked past all the staring eyes.

"I'm so glad that Slytherin has Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindor," Scorpius announced as he sat on the chair next to Albus.

"There you are! I was wondering where you were!" Albus exclaimed as he turned in his seat to face his friend.

"Sorry about that, I'll tell you what happened after class," Scorpius said. Albus was only able to nod his head in response as Professor Niphler came out of his office and descended the stairs to start the lesson.

"So that's what everyone was whispering about during breakfast!" Albus whispered in realization.

"Yeah, I'm not quite sure what to make of all of this," Scorpius said, nodding.

The two continued to talk about the morning's happenings, Scorpius was just about to discuss Ben's suggestion, when suddenly, Gavin Nash appeared in front of them in the corridor. Accompanying him was Crispin Hall and a group of older Slytherin boys who looked to be in their Third or Fourth year, one of whom looked like an older and taller version of Gavin.

"So it's true then, what they said in the Great Hall. You really are the son of a Death Eater," Gavin sneered.

"I didn't know myself until this morning so lay off, Gavin," Scorpius explained angrily.

"I don't really believe you," Gavin retorted as he took a threatening step closer to Scorpius. Albus suddenly maneuvered himself so that he stood between the two Slytherins, attempting to cut the building tension between them.

"I don't know who you are, Gavin, but stop bothering Scorpius. He honestly didn't know about his family's past. Do like he says and just leave it be. Besides, you two are Housemates, you shouldn't be making enemies with each other," Albus asserted. Gavin frowned at what Albus said and narrowed his eyebrows.

"Fine, I'll leave it, but this isn't over," he said as he turned to walk down the corridor. As Gavin and his band left, Scorpius noticed that Crispin had hung back.

"I'm sorry about that you two," he said quietly before sheepishly following the Slytherin pack out of the corridor.

Albus turned to Scorpius with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"What the bloody hell was that all about? Who put a Blast-ended Skrewt in Gavin's trousers?" Albus asked. Scorpius shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

"I don't know, search me," he replied as they started to continue down the corridor. "What class do you have next?" He asked.

"Flying with the Hufflepuffs, should be fun," Albus replied. "What about you?"

"I've got Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. Hopefully I'll be able to sit with Rose so that I can fill her in about today. She'll probably know how to deal with this mess," Scorpius said.

Albus nodded in agreement.

To his surprise, Scorpius arrived early for his Transfiguration class. Not surprisingly, Rose was the only other student in the room besides himself. She was sitting at the very front of the classroom; her required texts were already neatly stacked in one corner of the desk, her quills and wand lay perfectly next to them. Rose turned around when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Her face lit up immediately and her mouth transformed into a huge grin.

"Are you waiting for anyone in particular?" Scorpius asked politely.

"Nope, feel free to sit," Rose replied.

Scorpius nodded and sat down next to her.

"Have you heard those nasty things that people have been saying about you? Honestly, it's totally barbaric," she huffed.

"Yeah, I've been hearing plenty since the _Prophet _came out this morning," Scorpius sighed. He then began to tell her about everything that had happened in the Great Hall, his conversation with Ben, what happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Albus, and about the confrontation in the corridor.

"Seems to me that the answer is quite simple. Your Prefect named Ben is right, you simply just need to send an owl to your father. Ask him about everything. He's going to _have_ to tell you what happened. There's no avoiding it now," Rose explained.

"Thanks Rose. Will you come with Albus and me to the Owlery after class?" Scorpius asked.

"Of course I will," she said with a nod.

By this time, the rest of the class had slowly filed into the room and took their seats. Within a few moments, Professor Siegaul entered the classroom and began the lesson.

After class had ended, Rose and Scorpius met up with Albus near the West Tower. The three friends ascended the staircase to the Owlery that was at the top. Once that arrived at the top of the tower, Scorpius began to look for his eagle owl, Adonis, in the rafters of the roof. Once he had spotted him, Scorpius whistled for his owl. Adonis swiftly flew down from his perch and landed on Scorpius' outstretched arm. Rose and Albus gasped in surprise about the sheer size of the bird. Scorpius couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Most people react to him that way. This is my eagle owl, Adonis," Scorpius said.

"He's beautiful," Rose whispered.

"Yeah, I wish our owl was as handsome as him," Albus admitted. "Did you get a letter drawn up?" Albus asked Scorpius.

"Yes, I somehow managed to write it during Transfiguration. Not sure how I managed it though, Rose and I were sitting right in front of Professor Siegaul," Scorpius replied. He retrieved a folded up piece of parchment from his robes and gave it to Adonis. "Bring this back home to Dad and Mum," he told his bird. As soon as Scorpius had given direction, Adonis spread his large wings and took off from his owner's arm. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius watched the eagle owl fly away with the letter.

"And now we wait until tomorrow," Rose piped up.


End file.
